Tangled Web of Love
by Clarilyn
Summary: James likes Lily but Lily likes Sirius but Sirius likes Tonks but Tonks likes Remus but Remus likes Narcissa but Narcissa likes Lucius but Lucius likes Bellatrix but Bella likes Snape but Snape likes Lily.Tonks is taking her mother's place in Marauder era
1. Chapter 1

End of Summer Holidays, Potter Manor

End of Summer Holidays, Potter Manor

Sirius Black was seated comfortably on his best friend, James Potter's bed, smirking as he read through James' letter to Lily Evans, who, according to James, was only the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world. Sirius' grin widened as he read,

Dear Lily,

I know this is the fifty-sixth time I have asked you out and that you will probably turn me down again, but I still hope that one day you will be able to accept my feelings because you are the ice beneath my skates, you are the air I breate and your beauty is reflected by the moon. I love you and I will do anything to get you to return my feelings. So…will you go out with me?

Love

James

The whole letter sounded way too sheepish to Sirius. In Sirius' opinion, it needed a little what he called "spicing up".

Grinning evilly, he picked up a quill and began scriblling hastily. By the time he'd finished with James' letter, it was a good bit longer than before. The letter now went like this:

Dear Lily,

Greetings from your dearest admirer and I would like to ask you out for the fifty-sixth time. Hopefully you will realize this time how much you love me and accpet my love because you are the ice beneath my skates, cherry of my Black Forest cake, you're the water of my toilet bowl _(it was essential, right?),_ the cheese of my cheese cake, the inspiration behind my good looks, the polish of my brromstick, the lens of my glasses, the wings of my Golden Snitch , the carvings on my Galleons and the sparkle of our futrue engagement ring. Your beauty is reflected by the moon. I love you and I will do anything for you. Will you give me that chance?

Love

James

Sirius had just sealed the envelope when the door opened and James walked into the room.

"Have you corrected it? Was it lousy? What do you think she'll think about it?" he asked anxiously.

"Trust me, mate," said Sirius, "this is definetely a letter she'll remember."

Number Four, Pivet Drive

Lily sat in her room, her nose in her Transfiguration textbook, trying hard to memorize the wand movements pictured in page twenty-three. Her desk was piled high with books and her right hand gripped a quill, poised above a piece of parchment, ready to write down notes.

Sharp tapping sounds on her window shattered her concentration. Annoyed, she glanced up at the large grey owl pecking on the glass pane. However, her annoyance vanished once she recognized the owl. Unknown to her, James had borrowed Sirius' owl to send the letter, so she happily assumed the letter was from Sirius.

Lily had had a secret crush on Sirius Black since fourth year, not that she had ever admitted, or even shown, her feelings. But if Sirius was actually sending her love letters, there was no reason to refuse, was there?

Her sparkling green eyes lit up with excitement as she read the letter, and befroe she reacehd the end she was already singing with joy. She picked up her quill, and, homework forgotten, began to write a letter to Sirius in reply.

Pivet Drive

Severus Snape skulked down the street, eyes fixed on a window of Number Four, Pivet Drive. He could have taken the shortcut home, or even travel by Floo. But he preferred to walk this way. He could pass Lily's house on the way, and occasionally he could spot Lily sitting by her window, usually reading some book or other.

Today he was lucky again. Lily was at her window, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she read a letter that had probably just been sent by the grey owl perched on her windowsill.

Wait…grey owl? He was fairly sure all Lily's girl friends had white snowy owls. He squinted up at Lily's window again. Her expression was unmistakbly one of extreme excitement. She clapped a hand to her heart and gazed dreamily out of the window. Severus was worried. This did not look good.

When the grey owl left with Lily's reply, for some reason Severus followed it. It took him well out of his way, back to Diagon Alley, where he had just come from, and soared westwards over Gringotts. It was a clear day and dimly silhouetted in the very far distance, was a single white turret with red and gold posts, a flag with the Potter family crest flapping in the breeze. Snape scowled. _Potter. _

Potter Manor

Sirius was tired. No, he wasn't tired; he was totally exhuasted. Persuading James to get off his broom, Sirius decided, had to be one of the hardest tasks in the world.

Tap-tap.

Sirius looked up. His owl tapped impatiently again. "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Sirius growled. Why was it that he could never have a moment of peace? Sirius untied the letter. As expected, the letter was from Lily. What was unexpected, however, was that the letter was addressed to him, not James.

Tentatively, Sirius ripped open the letter. Written clearly in Lily's neat handwriting was:

Dear Sirius,

Thank you so much for your charming letter! I want you to know that I feel the same way about you and I will gladly be the ice beneath your skates, cherry of your Black Forest cake, water of your toilet bowl, cheese of your cheese cake, inspiration of your good looks, polish of your brromstick, lens of your glasses, wings of your Golden Snitch, the carvins on your Galleons and the sparkle of our future engagement ring. I belive you already have my answer to your last question. Look forward to seeing you.

Love,

Lily

Sirius gulped. Lily liked _him._ Him, _Sirius Black_. Oh no. Oh _no no no no no_. James was going to kill him once he found out. In fact, James would be coming in anytime now…… Sirius thrust the letter into the fire at the same moment James burst into the room.

James was having the time of his life. There was nothing, absolutely _nothing_ better than being hundreds of miles up in the air, alone except for his broomstick. All his worries were forgotten once he put his leg over his Nimbus One Thousand. Sirius had gone in half an hour earlier, complaining loudly about how James was overworking him. James was incredulous. Sirius was giving up a whole hour of daylight playing _Quidditch_, the best game in the world, because he was _tired?!_ And he dared claim he like the sport!

The sun set early that day and James was forced to put away his broomstick when there was no longer enough daylight to see by. And naturally, the first thing he did upon entering the house was to grab something to eat, and rush straight up to Sirius' room. He paused outside and peeked through the keyhole instead, just in time to see Sirius throw a piece of parchment into the fire.  
Moving ten times faster than his usual speed, James burst through the door, crossed the room in one long stride and snatched the parchment out of the fire.

"What's this?" inquired James.

"Um…" Sirius sighed resignedly. "Lily's reply."

"Lily's reply!" exclaimed James. He was suddenly very nervous. His hands were covered in cold sweat. With trembling hands, he opened the letter. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sirius looking at him furtively.

Except for the address and the greeting, the letter was relatively intact. With bated breath, he began reading the letter.

_…I want you to know that I feel the same way about you… _James couldn't believe his eyes. Lily returned his feelings! They liked each other! _…Charming letter…_James leapt up and hugged Sirius, then started dancing him around the room. "Thank you Sirius, thank you, I love you!" he sang off-tune at the top of his voice.

James was too happy to notice the puzzed, less-than-enthusiastic expression on Sirius' face as he stared at James unsurely. He was floating on clouds of happiness.

"You're a genius, Sirius, she loves the letter!" Sirius mumbled something that sounded like, "No problem" but James didn't really hear it. "You HAVE to help me write a romantic reply!"

Sirius panicked.

"Um…maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea…"

James stopped. "Why?"

"Uh..."

To Sirius surprise, James suddenly agreed. "You're right! Holidays end tomorrow, the letter won't reach in time anyway…" Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "But I'll arrange a big surprise for her at the train station that'll totally blow off her feet!"

Uh-oh. Potential Disaster. "NO! Uh, I mean…"

"What?"

"Uh, don't you think it would be …too flashy? I think you shouldn't …don't rush things…Lily doesn't like showing off…you might frighten her away…" Sirius babbled quickly, offering all the reasons he could think of for not doing it except the truth. He just could not bring himself to break it to James and burst his bubble. For now he could only cross his fingers and hope for the best.


	2. Chapter 2

The Day School Reopens, King's Cross Station

The Day School Reopens, King's Cross Station

Sirius was worried. _Very _worried. Beside him, his best mate was chattering enthusiastically non-stop, a sure sign he was nervous. Nervous but still very much in seventh heaven, blissfully unsuspecting that he was soon to fall back to earth with a bump. Sirius hoped the bump wouldn't hurt too much.

Sirius had spent the last 24 hours trying to talk James out of this in vain. Many times he had been on the verge of blurting out the truth, but one look at the joy in James' face and all resolve vanished. Sirius knew it would probably hurt more to find out this way, but he couldn't tell James—he just couldn't.

Platform nine three quarters was beautifully decorated with red and gold lilies and draped with red and gold silk. The fragrance of the lilies filled the air. Above them a large banner read, "To my dearest Lily flower, You will hold my heart forever."

The dreaded/eagerly anticipated moment arrived. As if in slow motion, Lily stepped onto the platform, took in her surroundings with widening eyes, then gave Sirius a warm smile. Sirius was alarmed. His first thought was: _Escape!_ Thankfully James hadn't seen Lily yet.

"James! Over there!" yelled Sirius in fake excitement, pointing in the opposite direction of where Lily was. The instant James turned, Sirius ran for his life. He bolted out form under the banner (where they were standing), skirted round a group of girls and made a beeline for the train compartment……….

Only to be intercepted halfway there by a bear-hug from Lily.

"Thank you, Sirius!"

Sirius felt as if someone had turned off the volume. Everything went quiet. Only James' footfalls could be heard, loud and clear, each step bringing Sirius closer to his doom. He pulled away from Lily quickly. James had reached them without even looking at James her could sense James' bewilderment.

"Thank you _Sirius_?"

Lily looked at James as if he was mad. "Why? Is there anything wrong?"

Sirius wanted to scream. _Is there anything wrong?_ Of course there wasn't! Everything was fine, except that James had spent hours planning a perfect surprise and gift for Lily but Lily had hugged him instead. Oh yes, and there was also this _minor_ problem that James liked Lily but Lily liked Sirius, and James was going to skin him alive, once there were left alone. And deep down, James was very hurt; it was reflected in his eyes. Apart from that? Yeah, everything was perfectly fine.

James just stared, speechless.

Sirius looked uncomfortably at his boots. He could feel James' gaze on him, perplexed, hurt, betrayed. Sirius edged as far away from Lily as possible.

Lily sensed his discomfort. Looking from James to Sirius with puzzled air, she decided to leave. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school then, Sirius." James stared dumbfounded at her departing figure until she was out of sight.

James' gaze shifted to him, but Sirius refused to meet it.

"How could you?" yelled James accusingly at Sirius.

"There was a mistake!" Sirius defended himself.

James narrowed his eyes. "Explain," he said, his voice dangerous.

Sirius complied.

_Few minutes later…_

"You could've told me earlier," said James quietly, once he had finished.

"You were so happy…I couldn't do it," Sirius mumbled.

"It would've been _nothing _compared to how I feel now."

"I know, James," Sirius met his eyes. "I'm sorry."

James was crushed. Many emotions were surging through him; disappointment, misery, pain, and he was taking it all out on Sirius, holding him responsible. But when Sirius lifted his head up to face him, James could see that Sirius blamed himself just as much as he did.

_Sirius didn't do it on purpose; he just didn't have the heart to tell him…_

"And I'll clear things with Lily, I'll make her realize there was never and will never be anything between us, I already fancy someone else anyway…"

…_He doesn't even like Lily anyway…it's not his fault…just forgive him…_

"Wait, you already fancy someone else?"

"Um…yeah. Tonks, actually."

"Nymphadora Tonks? That Ravenclaw girl? Oooh…" James grinned mischieviously.

"Oooh what?" asked Sirius defensively.

"Sirius and Nymphadora sitting on a tree—"

"Hey! Don't you dare finish that—"

As he chased James towards the train, Sirius knew that he was forgiven.

The corridor shook. The doors of various compartments vibrated. The lights swayed. Many people, mostly first-years, looked alarmed.

This did not trouble Remus Lupin in the least. He knew better. All it meant was James Potter and Sirius Black were arriving. Sure enough, the corridors suddenly cleared, revealing two black-headed boys chasing each other, producing sound effects similar to that of a stampeding elephant herd.

Peter looked up. "James and Sirius coming?"

Remus stuck his head out of the door. "Yeah." He nodded in confirmation. "Yo! Idiots!"

James and Sirius looked up and waved, grinning like madmen. Remus and Peter cracked up.

Then it hit them.

"Hey! Who're you calling idiots?"

"Uh-oh."

Remus leapt back inside and slammed the door. James and Sirius, hot on his heels, ploughed straight into it. The flimsy compartment door, which most definitely had not been built for defense purposes, flew inwards and landed on the opposite bench, with James and Sirius on top. The bench gave a creak and crumbled.

Remus found himself facing a pile of splintered wood with limbs sticking out. He would have laughed had the circumstances been different, but as a prefect on the school train he tried to look horrified.

"James! Sirius! You've totally _ruined_ our compartment. If you're reported you could get _months_ of detention for damaging public property!"

The only response he got was a low moan.

"Oww…someone get them off me!"

"Whoops! Sorry Petey!"

James and Sirius leapt up and pulled what was left of their door off the unfortunate Peter.

"Are you okay?"

Peter was still trying to get his breath back, so he didn't reply. Remus cleared his throat loudly, gesturing towards the wreckage.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, that." Said Sirius nonchalantly. "Reparo." With a lazy flick of his wand, the bench and door repaired themselves beautifully.

"You were saying?"

Remus sighed. "You guys are impossible."

James slung his arm around Remus. "But that's why you love us!"

Remus rolled his eyes but allowed James to hug him. James smirked triumphantly.

"I knew you couldn't resist my charm."

"You and your inflated ego."

"And admirable courage and impressive Quidditch skills."

"Whatever."

Any further comments were cut off by Nymphadora Tonks sticking her head into the compartment.

"I swear, whenever I see the four of you, you're always fighting."

"It's our method of communication!"

Nymphadora shook her head. "You guys are—"

"Impossible." Finished the four of them together with a grin.

"We know. Remus just said so himself."

"Remus just said the same thing as I did?" squeaked Tonks, blushing furiously.

"Yeah," answered James, puzzled. Was Tonks _blushing_?

"Why?"

"Nothing." She answered, quickly. Far too quickly. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of crimson.

James gave up trying to fathom what it was all about. _Girls_, he thought. He would never figure them out.


End file.
